1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a combination container-cap construction for enabling users to gain access to separately housed container contents within a single container-cap construction. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-compartment container-cap assembly for enabling users to sequentially gain access to successive compartments, which sequential and successive access may be cyclically indexed.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,572 ('572 patent), issued to Halbich, discloses a Plastic Pillbox. The '572 patent describes a dispensing container or box for pills or capsules having multiple individual compartments, which can be individually opened for extracting or dispensing a pill or capsule. The individual compartments are formed by partitions within the container. A top or cover is provided which is initially integral and which provides a plurality of tabs arranged so that an individual tab covers each compartment, the tabs being attached to the cover by a frangible part that can be manually broken free. Each tab is provided with means in the form of a depending rib shaped to snugly fit into the top of its respective compartment to provide an air tight fit. Latching detent means are provided as between the integral cover and the container so that when the cover is positioned it cannot be taken off or removed from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,156 ('156 patent), issued to Martin, discloses a Method and apparatus for accurately selecting storing and dispensing pills. The '156 patent describes an apparatus for accurately selecting, storing and dispensing multiple varieties of pills at preselected time intervals such as morning, noon, evening and night includes a separate pill container for each unique variety of pill to be dispensed.
Each pill container is identified by a distinctive color or colors to indicate the time interval(s) during which the pill in it is to be dispensed. For example, each container for pills to be dispensed in the morning will be identified at least by the color red; at noon, at least yellow; in the evening, at least blue; and at night at least black. Any particular container will, therefore, be identified by at least one and not more than four colors.
A pill tray includes a plurality of pill holding compartments arranged in columns identified with each of the days of the week and in row, each row representing one of the time intervals, such as morning, noon, evening and night. Each pill holding compartment in the row representing morning is colored red, the row representing noon is colored yellow, the evening row is colored blue, and the night row is colored black.
The tray is loaded by putting one pill from each container in each of the compartments colored the same as one of the colors identifying that container. Sliding panels are provided as covers for each of the columns, and the patient can access the proper medication by uncovering the appropriate compartment at the appropriate time interval. For example, on Monday morning, the patient slides the “Monday” panel down far enough to uncover the Monday morning compartment, removes the pills and ingests them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,101 ('101 patent), issued to Heath, discloses a Container assembly including lower compartment comprising chordal partitions. The '101 patent describes a container assembly for containing a commodity in a cylindrical primary container, and further including a cylindrical base and dispenser subassembly for receiving the cylindrical container, and for dispensing elongated, thin articles. The base and dispenser subassembly includes an upwardly extending peripheral flange, a downwardly extending peripheral flange and a transverse partition therebetween carrying the flanges.
Parallel chordal partitions extend across, and substantially normal to, the transverse partition, and define a multiple article storage compartment. A dispenser closure cap includes an end plate which extends across the top of the article storage compartment. The end plate carries an annular outer flange which rotatably engages the downwardly extending peripheral flange. A mirror is affixed to the exterior of the end plate. In another form, the primary container may simply be formed as an integral part of the base and dispenser subassembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,324 ('324 patent), issued to Delorio, discloses a Multi-compartment pill container. The '324 patent describes a multi-compartment pill container constructed to hold a week's worth of medication for a user. The container has a housing having a top surface, a number of removable compartments held within the rectangular openings in the top surface of the housing, and a lid attached to the housing and extending over the compartments.
Each compartment is divided into chambers by separation walls. Each chamber has a chamber cover on which indicia is printed. The indicia include abbreviations for the days of the week for each of the compartments, as well as times of the day for each of the chambers. At the correct time, the user ingests the medication from the appropriate chamber. The container also includes a telescopic drinking cup to aid in the taking of medication and a timer to notify the user to take the medication. Each compartment may be completely removed from the housing to allow the user to carry the compartment separate from the entire container.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,890 ('890 patent), issued to Noble et al., discloses a Multiple Compartment Container. The '890 patent describes a lid arrangement for a container with a hinged mating lid. The disclosed lid arrangement avoids inadvertently opening the lid, while at the same time allows easy opening when opening the lid is desired. The lid arrangement is configured to be used with a wide variety of different types of containers with hinged lids. In some embodiments, the lid arrangement is incorporated into a multiple compartment pill container.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20040089581, authored by Dienst, discloses a Pill Holder. The Dienst publication describes a pill container for holding pills, other medication, caplets, vitamins or nutritional supplements. The container may be comprised of a container with multiple closable compartments. Each compartment can be closed with a lid that is hingeably attached to the compartment. In one aspect of the device, the lid has a fastener that engages with a nub on the compartment.
The compartments of the container are designed with a deformable surface that releases the nub from the fastener to spring open the lid. In another aspect of the invention, the container has legs that provide it stability to rest on a flat surface. In another aspect of the invention, the bottom surface of the container's compartments is bowl-shaped to allow the items stored within to be easily scooped out.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2010294739, authored by Morris et al., describes a multi-compartment container cap comprising a hollow tubular body having a dividing wall forming a proximal compartment located at a proximal end of the hollow tubular body and a distal compartment located at the distal end of the hollow tubular body. The proximal end of the hollow tubular body is adapted to be releasably attached to a container body while the distal compartment comprises a separate compartment for the storage and dispensing of a composition which can be selected to be complementary to any composition store within the container cap.
As may be understood from a consideration of the foregoing, the prior art has shown a number of multi-compartment container-cap assemblies for providing users thereof with certain means to carry multiple types of container contents (e.g. pills) stored in varied compartments and enabling the user to access the compartments for obtaining the container contents in an organized manner so that the contents (e.g. pills) may be obtained according to prescribed scheduling. It will be further understood, however, from a review of the foregoing, and the field of multi-compartment containers and the like, that the prior art perceives a need for multi-compartment container-cap assembly substantially as summarized hereinafter.